September 2019: Chimp Caverns
Area of the Month for September 2019 is Chimp Caverns!
A template format for your review is below; click 'edit' at the top of the page, copy-pasta from the ---- to the next ----, and fill in the gaps!
(Yes, a wiki account is required to edit the page and therefore post your review, but take heart: The wiki is hosted by the Cleft itself, not a third party!
Player: You!(Class/Level)
Review Date(s):
Descriptions: X/10
How does the area's room descriptions(descs) work for you? Do they give you a good idea of the area? Do things that stand out in the desc and NEED explanation GET that, either from flavor text(extra-descs) or NPCs in the room or anything?
What about mobiles(mobs) and their descriptions? Can you get a decent mental image of who or what this NPC/monster is? Do they respond when you talk or interact with them?
Some areas have interact-able objects like fountains. Do they stack up well also?
Balance: X/10 (OR N/A)
(NOTE: combat will be most accurately gauged when your character is in the area's suggested level range.)
If this area has combat, how does it feel? Does anything jump as horribly overpowered and impossible to deal with? What about the flipside, anything far too easy to beat?
Are purchased or rewarded items at the appropriate strength levels? Is the effort required to obtain rewarded items reflected in their usefulness (or uniqueness and fancifulness)
Attractions: X/10
Why would you suggest someone come to this area? Is it just a good place to grind experience(lots of mobs)? Does the area provide a chunk of good gold and loot?
What about the quests? Does this area's quests feel properly done, or is there some part of it that you feel needs work?
For towns, are the shops good? Any other non-combative attraction for the area?
Connections: X/10
How easily and well does this area connect to its nearby areas? Does it make sense thematically to be connected to the areas it is?
Personal
Any comments you'd like to make that you don't feel apply to the other sections can go here!
Player- Vashka, lvl 15 Knight, lvl 16 by end of Review. (Remort 16) - Token'd!
Review Date 17-09-19
Descriptions: 8/10
It's Descriptions are one of the high lights of Chimp Caverns, well-made, well-crafted and well-fitting to the otherwise somewhat gloomy surroundings. Not perfect in that not everything that might lead to a closer look actually bears out an extra-desc, but enough does that it doesn't feel entirely sterile and lacking any interactivity, just relegated to actual intractable things rather then scenic dressing. The mobs themselves also continue the trend, amusing well-fitted descs, more-then-basic interactions in the form of their combat progging and they also got amusing talk responses, admittedly, mostly this results in them attacking you, but as they are hostiles, very fitting.
Balance: 6/10
For the most part, they are somewhat on the low-end of the weight-class, but this is made up for by the fact some of them, like the Slippa can get very nasty if their status-attacks succeed. The Rockkroc at the other end of the scale, is almost overpowered having access to up to 3 physical attacks, but this is countered by the fact they come with a mechanic to evade them alltogether. Though counter-counter to that, the likelyhood of facing 2 on 1 is somewhat high, since they are highly mobile in their area and one of them can take a beating to beat before another might wander in. The main area boss could use a bit more hp to make them feel more boss-like and allow their unique running battle tactics to occur more often, but otherwise feels right for the level-range. There is not an over-abundance of loot to the place, if anything it is very sparse loot-wise. But what there is, is quite nice. It definetly could use more drop-items to make the place more appealing, but what there is makes thematic sense. Also, the possible reward in the 2nd area-quest is quite nice for the lvl-range.
Attractions: 4/10
While it makes an okay-leveling range diversity wise, the area lacks the mob-density to really be considered for that purpose. It makes sense, a mine shouldn't be horribly crowded and overrun by hordes of beasties, so it gets a pass for that. Primarily, the zone, personally atleast, gets used as a short-cut through the Myrkur Mountains to get too, or from Viorar and evade the long-walk around said mountains. And even in that use, the fact nearly each movement is accompanied by a fall of inevitable, annoying and possible exit-blocking Debris to clear, is a major downside. So, it feels very transitory; you pass through, and barely linger or think about the area. Which, given the nice desc-work, is somewhat sad.
Connections: 9/10
It's a Mine, and it's in a Mountain, further, it connects visibly to another-Mine on one and, and a Mining-town on the other. Connection wise, pretty much as good as it's going to get location-wise. Further, it is, untill the advent of Housing Portals or other movement related shenanigans, the quickest way to get to or from Viorar to the rest of the main-land, so quite valuable connection-wise. Could use further connections, more mines, more dug-to-deep shenanigans, but what's there as-is is near perfect so leave it as-is
Personal
I like Chimp-Caverns overall, despite the low mob-density and lack of loot, but what I do not like, and wish to condemn to the deepest hells imaginable, is the constant rain of debris. It does not add anything thematically, unlike the clouds of miasmic-fog, it just annoys, delays and gets in the way of killing actual mobs. At the very least, make it rain debris less frequently then a sure-thing anytime anything including the mobs themselves most, or preferably get rid of the mechanic all-together, it is a nuisance and a pain.
Player: Otto (War/20) --Token'd
Sept 28, 2019 (and a zillion other visits, but for review, I brought this guy. ed. I'm Kaze)
Descriptions: 7/10
The room descriptions are generally quite good: Evocative of the games they are aping. The secrets are less clear, but work fine, given their status.
Descriptions of MOBs is far less clear because, as aggressive as they are, the short descriptions need to do almost all of the explaining.
One element in particular is the debris. It's not clear from description that they are attackable, which should probably be the case.
Balance: 4/10
This place feels frenetic and dangerous, but also cheap. The enemies aren't *amazingly* strong for the level range, but they still hit pretty hard and they show up swiftly to attack and with some serious debilitating abilities. (and, importantly, frustrating ones to deal with.) The debris fields and things trap you in with monsters which increases the difficulty, as well, unless you have some means of preventing fights. (sneak/invis being the obvious examples) Regardless, that also makes it irritating to navigate.
At or below the level range, you need a pretty significant edge to survive the place.
Not sure of any good rewards for the kills, so it's mostly a place to avoid until you can trivially mulch the things or sneak past.
Attractions: 2/10
It's one of the routes twixt Viorar and Truce, so that's an attraction, yet *many* go around, which tells you something about the attractiveness.
The biggest draws *inside the area* are [Redacted] and Cranky Kong, but these are not strong draws very often.
The biggest draw is what it links together.
Connections: 5/10
Connected on the west to another cavern and on the east to mines makes some sense. Connecting [redacted] doesn't really matter. From a geometric standpoint, it makes as much sense as anything.
Themes are a bit weird, really. Seems to me that it really ought to connect to a jungle area, though, not the temperate stuff nearby. Some more water would be fitting, too. Why chimps are living past the Vioraran and Arlian mines isn't clear.
Personal
I think I see the intent and I pretty much agree with it, but implementation is more annoying than fun. Honestly, I think the route it occupies now could be better served by a more consistent mine theme or opening into a more "raw cave" vibe. If doing this, I'd keep Chimp Caverns, but relegate it to an optional branch off of that path that leads outside to a sheltered box canyon with a jungle ecosystem and a strong DKC theme. If that canyon contains some fun challenges, the Chimp Caverns would seem like a gauntlet for admission, and I'd like it a lot more. (Said canyon could exist a bit northerly, near the swamp, or southerly in the Luon mountain ranges. There's plenty of space for it undefined.)
Cranky is one of my favorite NPCs. He's up there with Booster for an NPC I truly enjoy talking to in-game. I'd love his notes to be kept updated for content as it comes in. First, because this would keep him useful, and second because the guy is fun to talk to. Come to think, I'd love it if he had some sort of qskill interaction befitting his elder status.
Player: Abaril (Level 100 Vampire) --Token'd!
Review Date(s): September 30, 2019
Descriptions: 4/10
The descriptions are serviceable, but overall the area is not memorable at all. Appropriate use of color for the room descriptions definitely helps what would otherwise be very...generic. Extra descriptions are few and far between, and I haven't seen any that really convey a sense of what the area is supposed to be or that help with the pair of quests in the zone. The mob descriptions are also not particularly vivid--just a few declaratory sentences that transition from plural to singular and back with seemingly no concern. Cranky Kong is well done and possibly the only interesting character in the zone.
Balance: 2/10
Let me preface this review by saying that I did use Chimp Caverns for leveling at the bookends of my first set of lives. Because I was Viorar-centered for most of my pre-player house remorts, Chimp filled a small niche before the Safari Zone got reworked. I started going back to Chimp Caverns once the tnl's started creeping up and bodycount was by far my biggest enemy. During the peak morts and on this current set of lives, there was absolutely no reason to go there for leveling or for gear. It is quite simply outclassed by a good number of areas that don't have lowered regen rates, infuriating movement obstacles or the frustrating combination of wimpy/aggro mobs. As long as those areas exist, Chimp will be, at best, a lesser-used path between Truce and Viorar. It is a drop dud as well; I have not seen a single item in the zone that I would consider a keeper, even for a freshly created character of the appropriate level.
Attractions: 3/10
Cranky has an pretty neat concept for his "shop," and his talk prog referencing coming back after 100 remorts is amusing. I long await the day when Emouse finally does hit that 100th mort and talks to him in vain! Please make sure that my nursing home has wifi so that I can see it first-hand!
Other than that, well, why bother? "defeated Master Necky" and "rescued an animal buddy" are both appropriate quests for a low-level zone, but they are uninteresting and mostly not worth the visit.
Connections: 1/10 (but it would be 6 if there were no debris/10)
It's on the shorter of the walking routes between Truce and Viorar, so that's a plus. The debris blocking your path combined with a sizable number of potentially aggressive mobs, however, make that path the one less traveled by far. Pretty much everyone I know would prefer to walk the long way around on the Luon Highway instead of bothering with the mostly pointless debris-filled pathways of Chimp. The lesser known connection doesn't play enough of a role to impact my grading of the area.
Personal
I know it sounds like I'm bashing the area (probably because I am), but that's nothing personal toward the builder. I love so much of Ageatii's stuff that I honestly wouldn't have thought that this was his area until I checked the Wiki to see who did build it. It certainly doesn't feel like it was done by the person who delivered the beauty of Goa or the splendor of the Mana Quest
I've heard that Chimp is one of the older areas around, and it just feels like it's out of place now. With so many better places to level or travel through, it kind of lost whatever it might have had long before I started playing the game. And that being said, it's probably due for a major overhaul. It might be more effective with a level boost (maybe hitting 50-range which is lacking on the Viorar side of things) and a useful drop or two.